ABOUT

Daily Tech News Show is hosted by Tom Merritt and Sarah Lane and does what it says in the name. Each show delivers the top stories in tech combined with analysis from regular contributors and guest perspectives from the top names in technology. Or as listener Alan Char says it, “discussion and analysis of tech news in an entertaining and balanced way that is easy to understand.” Our companion show, Daily Tech Headlines, delivers the essential tech news you need to know. Together our shows attempt to improve the knowledge and understanding of how tools shape our lives.

Catch up on the video version here. Also the home of outtakes, almost-shows, and archived post-show Q&A’s.

Host: Tom Merritt – Tom is a veteran podcaster and technology analyst. Tom ran the TechTV.com website. He created and hosted CNET’s Buzz Out Loud podcast with Molly Wood. He created and hosted TWIT’s award-winning Tech News Today podcast. He has been covering the daily tech news on a podcast, day in and day out, since March 2005. Follow Tom on twitter @acedtect

Host: Sarah Lane – Sarah is a veteran TV and Web journalist and host with experience at TechTV, Revision 3, TWiT, TechCrunch, Lionsgate and more. Sarah hosted Tech NEws Today with Tom Merritt for several years and directed video as well as hosting updates for TechCrunch. Follow Sarah on Twitter at @sarahlane

Senior Producer: Roger Chang –

Artist in residence: Len Peralta. Check out Len’s DTNS artwork at his store , and support his Patreon, where you can check out the DTNS lover level

Senior Advisor: Jennie Josephson – Jennie started out in radio at age 4. She later worked in television at CBS News and HDNet. She joined the internet in 2010, producing award-winning videos for Yahoo Studios, like this mini-documentary which you can watch if you have tissues nearby. Follow Jennie on twitter @jenniej23

57 thoughts on “ABOUT”

Nice to have found you again…I was sorry that TNT did not work out and I really tried to like it with you gone but it was not he same…I am please that you landed on your feet and have many of the same contacts as before. Loved the format before and still do…keep up the good work. It would be awesome if you could bring Sarah with you but I’m sure that you will find another co-host soon.

I feel exactly the same way. I found TNT by following Iyaz from This Old Nerd, and stayed for the great chemistry of the group. Without Tom Merritt, the show has lost its soul. Glad to know you’ve landed on your feet with a new podcast. Subscribing now on iTunes.

By the way, special thanks to Tech Republic for alerting me that you were back!

2) Then got into New Media with Old Media backing (Cnet supported by Ziff Davis and CBS)

3) Then went to New Media backed by sponsors (Tech News Today, where he saw 1st hand New Media could be viable)

4) Then went to New Media backed by viewers (using the Free-2-Play model, where you can listen/watch for free, but if you like it and can afford it, you can financially support it aka the patron model, much like the way artists and scholars of Ye Olde Tymes got supported individual wealthy patrons, but now supported by many less wealthy patrons).

Tom was on a journey that led to here. True, there were many obstacles and he could have given up, but by bravely pressing on–and with a little help from his friends–he’s made his own Hero’s Journey. (All without having to have his hand chopped off by his father and replaced with a bionic one. Or finding out that Jennie was sister and also strong in the Force.)

— Ken from Chicago

P.S. C’mon, it’s May, the 4th. I HAD to use a Star Wars reference. I think it’s the law or something. 😉

Hi Tom, happy that you are back with a daily show. I also tried the your old show with the other guy but I guess being a good journalist does not mean being a good radio voice.
Anyway – subscriber +1 for your new show – maybe add a donation button so people can pay for the public service Best regards from the Netherlands

Well, I’ve been dual listening to TNT and DTNS since the change, but I’m now giving up on TNT. What you had there was astonishing and unique – a great mix of tech, news, humour, fun. TNT is now unlistenable – they’ve now got rid of “news views” so you can’t even just listen to the first 5 minutes and not have to put up with the painful analysis; you think everyone wasn’t doing that after the first couple of days? Anyway, DTNS is getting there, get it back to how TNT was, get an IA and SL, focus on those core values, and you’ll be golden.

Hey Tom! I was caught off guard to learn you were leaving TNT. Much as I was caught off guard when you left BoL. I’m detecting a trend. However, since you seem to be going it alone I hope to not be surprised again.

I have to say that I gave the new TNT a try but had to stop after I was told that I can’t sleep at work. That being the case, it is a godsend that I found this new show from you. Have you thought about going the Patreon route with this show as well? Love the growth that you have with DTNS and hope you don’t kill the video version in the future.

Hi Tom and Jennie. After listening to the listener created episodes the thought struck me that it might be cool to have a weekly segment that’s produced the same way; like an expanded “news from you” segment. I personally found it fascinating to hear people talk about what interested them in their own voice.

Hi Michael! Thank you for listening! We really enjoyed the News From You segments too and are definitely looking for the right way to work those into the show on a more regular basis. For now though, always keep an ear out at the very end of the audio version…

Hi Tom,
great to see you striding out on your own. It is exciting and scary (I know). I have listened to you since early BOL days. I don’t know if anyone has said this but the reason people listen to you is how well you interact and bounce off other presenters on your show. You also have razor insight and understand how to get the best from the people around you and also how to treat sensitive/controversial matters. Have faith in your ability, keep your shows conversational and keep bringing on that Merritt magic. There’s a lot of good will out there for you. Ride it.

Hi Tom.
Follower / listener since BOL.
I just want to echo the comment that Molly shared on the ‘News from you’ episode. When you need to, get your RANT on. When you deserve to GET ANGRY about injustice / corporate greed / stupid goverment / .
When it’s right, rekindle the “We know who the real creep is…” feeling.
Good luck, man. 2014 is your year 🙂

Longtime fan – good luck with this new endeavor! Two thoughts: First, a plea that the show rarely exceed 30 minutes, as that is a good length for people who listen to multiple podcasts. Second, a suggestion for News From You: Make it a separate podcast as not to take time from this show. Yourself, along with members of the ol’ gang, could take turns editing the incoming entries and assembling 15-odd minute shows. This arrangement would provide this great new content, while none of you would be bound to the task every day.

I know Patreon is trendy, and many do like the engagement and reward system – but I just want to send you a donation directly without having to register with yet another intermediary, or pay them an additional 5%.

Tom, was sorry to see you leave Twit but like many, happy to find you here. I just chipped in what little I can for now but wanted to chime on on my views on advertising. No one likes it. Not even me but advertising brings stability and if done well, is not that much of a problem. I think Leo does a good job and could be a good model to go by. Keep the ads low key and relevant to the site and program.
I ended up using a few of Twits advertisers because I found them useful and the ads not that bothersome.
I say go with both (gingerly). I send both Twit and SomaFm a little each month as well just to help out.
It’s a good conscience reliever.
As I said, very glad do see you doing what you do best.

Great to hear so many listeners have joined me in support of the Daily Tech News Show. Tom, the Patreon response shows you are doing things they way users are wanting to support, Good Job!

If you get to a point where you need, or feel you could use the funds provided by advertising in order to add even more value to the show, I would request you (and the guests/reporters) NOT do the ads…these should be done by someone other than the folks reporting the news, or making comments on the topics discussed on the show.

All Things Considered, you might go with an old school Public Broadcasting model and not have any ads, but rather funding announcements with no “call to action”. Example: Funding for the Daily Tech News Show is provided in part by ____ makers of ____ more information at [URL] …and by, listeners like you. Thank you.

In any case, I’m just glad I can get my Tech News fix along with the context and comments that add so much to understanding the details behind the headlines.

Do you know if there’s a way to listen live? I see that I can watch & listen live on YouTube, but I want to listen while walking or driving and I don’t want to spend battery or mobile bandwidth for the video.

Totally excited to see you at it again Tom! I’ve been trying to listen to TNT since Mike took over, and its just way to different. The shortened time of the show to 30 mins, the loss of the News Fuse, and the fact that the Ads are 1.5min but the conversation for each topic might be 2-3 just doesn’t work for me. And of course it misses your humour and the great interaction you had with Sarah and Iyaz. I’ve already subscribed to this and will continue to listen in the future. And if you can get Ads, i’d say get them. You know your audience better than anyone and the kind of products we would love hearing about!

I have been a longtime fan since the pre Veronica Buzz Out Loud shows. I stopped listening to TNT for a few weeks because my commute changed and was surprised to find Tom no longer hosting the show.

It took me a while to catch up with what has happened and am very glad that he’s going alone. It was sad to see BOL being interfered with and thus losing it’s status as the best daily tech news. TNT was following in the same path. Now Tom can do what he does best and for that I am glad.

I have watched you from the old BOL days and from day one at TWIT. I share the thoughts of many that the life has gone out of TNT and happy to find your energy alive and well for my daily ritual of a dose of tech news and wit.

o there I was watching a shmaltzy movie about two older people falling in love, staring Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer and called “Elsa and Fred” when I heard this familiar voice. About 30 mins into the movie Fred (Plummer) is watching a program on a huge console TV when his friend played by George Segal interrupts and pulls the cord on the TV. The brief shot of the TV before going black was of Tom Merrit sitting in his studio in LA. Clearly written (if you freeze the frame) is Tech News Today – Tom Merrit! Yes indeed the voice I heard was Tom’s. The character background that was revealed in the movie said Fred was in telecommunications for 40 years so it was in character, but there were no other geeky signs or paraphernalia. The TV seemed more like a throwback, IMHO.﻿

What a great unexpected geeky Easter egg. Wonder if you knew that, Tom?

I noticed you do not take advantage of using your Podcast Album Art in iTunes? Even Adam Curry & John Dvorak do! You have an artist doing great work for you and its got to be showcased in the Album Art on the next show so we can see what the heck you were taking about on the MP3 audio version.

Hi Tom and the Gang,
In regards to the DTNS 2552 discussion about computer literacy skills and whether it will be necessary to teach desktop computer skills to future tablet using generations, to me tablets and voice input systems are far too inefficient for business use. I’m an accountant, and the idea of filling in a 2000+ row spreadsheet in Excel on a tablet sounds like madness. Not to mention having to deal with autocorrect input errors from voice systems. There are some jobs that I-Pads and Siri just aren’t good for. That’s not to say that in the future we won’t come up with a more efficient and accurate input combination than Keyboard and mouse, but that probably won’t happen in the next 10-15 years.

Also, while I love tablets, I’m still not entirely convinced that voice input and pseudo AI systems such as Siri and Cortana aren’t a fad that will fade away once the marketing has moved on. While they certainly have some niche uses, most of the time it’s just easier to type what you want rather than hope and pray that the fake computer person understood you.

Jeb, Sorry to offend. I was joking about it because my good friend Molly Wood owns one. And she quite often makes jokes about Prius drivers at my expense. I do not in fact believe that everybody who drives a BMW is a jerk.

Hi Tom – Long time listener, first time poster… I’ve been following you daily since BOL started. I appreciate all that you do and am thrilled that services like Patreon have allowed you to cut out all the middlemen (“middle people” types weird) and bring your product directly to the marketplace. My question is this… Why haven’t I been solicited for more money? I bought a brick at the last place… I started with $1 here figuring I would go up when asked… Then a year or two went by and my partner started giving me guilt about only giving a buck… So I just raised it up to $5 (She is under the impression there are lots of pantless frogs out there who need my support).

I am genuinely curious if you don’t feel comfortable asking current supporters for more… Or feel the daily on air ask is sufficient… It seems in fundraising the second I give X organization anything I’m on a never ending loop of asks… As if my college and grad school didn’t get enough from me through tuition… As sad as this may be to say – at this point I think I may have learned more from you than them!!!

Anyway – thanks again for everything you do!!!
(Tell Molly to drag her ass back on the show more often – I still miss you two together)

Mostly because I find it incredibly annoying to be asked for more money by things like my own college and I trust that you’ll back the show at the level you find most appropriate. Looks like it worked in your case.

Hey Tom. I’ve been listening to your podcast for years. First when you were with Leo’s network, and then when you went off on your own with DTNS. It’s a joy to listen to, especially given how much fun you seem to have doing it. I FINALLY got around to sending a donation via Paypal. Currently don’t want to bother with Patreon, yet. I’ll get around to that method eventually. Anyhow, keep up the GREAT work.

Jennie is still an advisor for the show yes. Live streaming is at http://diamondclub.tv/ (If you forget, I mention it at the end of every show and also tweet it usually AND you can find it at dailytechnewsshow.com/live)

I realized that it has been a very long time since Darren Kitchen from Hak5 has been on. He used to be a frequent guest. Hoping that he just got too busy, and that he can be back on again at some point.

Couldn’t listen to Sarah on TWIT and will find it hard to keep listening to DTNS with her on it. First week was a disaster technically on her end. Made listening to her even more annoying. Her voice and manner is very grating. I listen to tons of tech podcasts. Most do not hurt my ears like this one now does. She is just not good. Might have to unsubscribe. Glad I did not support on Patreon. Sorry.

I implore you to stop Roger from talking on Good Day Internet. Roger takes down the average IQ of the conversation and is often misinformed with his dubious facts. Roger may be a fine producer but should stick to producing and not talking.